What Happens To Supplies Schools No Longer Use?

Education - Q&A

A. Every year the school district processes hundreds of thousands of dollars in surplus and outdated supplies.

That can be good news for people looking for a deal on a desk, a record player or even a school bus.

Surplus falls into three categories, said surplus manager Tom Knight.

If it's in good enough shape, the school district will shop one school's discard around to see if another school can use it. If it's in really bad shape, it will be sold for scrap.

The in-between stuff is up for grabs to the public and is sold twice a week at the district's surplus store at 6501 Magic Way, near John Young Parkway and Oak Ridge Road. The hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and 11 a.m to 5 p.m. Thursday.

Everything from a $1 table or record player to a $200 computer can be found, though it may not be in the best shape. The cheaper stuff may not work either, so it can be a bargain for fix-it types.

``There's always something for everyone,'' Knight said. Every year the school district earns about $200,000 through these sales, he said.

On Feb. 20 the district will conduct an auction that will include big-ticket items such as school buses. A small bus can be picked up for $1,000 to $3,000, Knight said. The auction begins at 11 a.m. at the Magic Way store. A preview is planned the previous day from 9 a.m to 3 p.m.

Home-schoolers and private schools are frequent shoppers for school supplies, but Hollywood also shows an interest sometimes, Knight said. Makers of the movie The Waterboy, for example, bought some stuff from the district.